Unforgettable
by Sir Cameron Dragic
Summary: Chihiro tries to put Minato out of her mind, but then, when she sees a familiar head of blue hair, she can't help but remember him.


Unforgettable

Chihiro tightly gripped the cup of Pheromone Coffee that she always ordered at Chagall Café. Outside, she saw the holiday shopping rush of the Paulownia Mall. Being the prepared person she was, she had already done her shopping weeks in advance, which is why she was able to relax with a soothing cup of coffee.

As she noticed some sophomores she recognized from school, she smiled. She had once been that girl, shy and nervous. But now, she was the confident and beautiful president of Gekkoukan High School. Although she knew that, if it not been for _him_, she would probably be the same shy and nervous girl.

How long had it been since she seen his face? Two years? Lately, she had done a good job of pushing her thoughts of him out of her mind. She had tried to move on. After all, she was going to be heading into college and soon after, she would be out in the workplace. There was no way she could waste time thinking of him. But every now and then, she mind relapsed into her vivid memories of him and their embraces. The feeling of his muscular arms wrapped her shoulders, his hot breath tickling her ears, his soothing voice calming her after a particular agitating day.

She shook her head defiantly. No, she couldn't be thinking of him. If she did, she knew where she would end up, on her bed at home, crying her eyes out. No, she had to think of the future, and what possibilities it could possibly hold.

Then she saw it. The familiar head of shaggy blue hair. In the bustling crowd, she could only catch a glimpse of it, but it was enough. Immediately, she stood up from her seat, nearly knocking over her coffee in the process. People were staring at her, but she didn't care. Could it be him just outside? Fumbling through her purse, she found some change and slapped it down on the table before she dashed out of Chagall Café.

Frantically, her eyes darted around, trying in vain to spot a sliver of blue. However, in the crowd of people, she could not get a good look.

Was this it? Did she miss her chance?

Then she spotted it. Immediately, she began pushing her way through the crowd, not caring if they were offended or not. Two years ago, she would never have the audacity to do what she was doing now, but it had all changed when she had met him.

* * *

Two years ago, she was just a shy sophomore who just happened to be the treasurer of the student council. Other than that, there was nothing special about her. Compared to their president, Mitsuru Kirijo, she was homely at best, and her family was poor, nothing compared to the Kirijo fortune. Beyond that, she was scared of men, and she didn't have anyone she could call her friend.

When it was summer break, the other girls would all go out and make plans with each other. They would go to the beach, or go shopping together. But all she could do was sit at home by herself, taking comfort in her shojo manga.

She always did like this one series about a shy and introverted girl, who overcame her fears to become a confident and beautiful woman. She had always wanted to be just like her, only she saw no hope. After her freshman year, when she had barely even greeted anyone outside of the Student Council, she had just accepted that she would never have any friends.

But then, he appeared. Minato Arisato. Just thinking of that name gave her chills. He was a transfer student, but she remembered that by the end of his first day, everyone was already talking about him, and about his supposed relationship with Yukari Takeba. Not to mention, whenever he was called on in class, he always had the right answer, while she had to study her ass off every night just to receive passing marks. He was already smart and popular, everything she was not.

Then he joined Student Council, and he immediately hit it off with everyone, including Mitsuru, who usually didn't even acknowledge most students. From her corner of the room, she could feel his overpowering presence and incredible charisma, as if he drank Pheromone Coffee religiously or something. Despite her fear of men in general, she had to admit that she already had a crush on him from the moment that she had seen him, but she never expected anything to come from it. After all, it seemed clear to everyone that he was dating Yukari Takeba, one of the most popular girls in school.

It wasn't fair. Why was it that some people could get anything that they wanted? Popular, beautiful, and the star of the Archery Team, Yukari had everything that she could want. Why did she have to claim Minato as well? It seemed like in this world, girls like her only had to bat their eyelashes before men were all over her. So why was it that she had to choose the one man she actually had feelings for? In the manga she had read, the heroine had challenged the most popular girl in school to win over her crush, but Chihiro knew that she could not do that. She just wasn't brave enough to do it.

But then, he came up to her after school one day and he actually tried to talk to her. She had just been minding her own business, going over some notes from the last meeting when she noticed that he was standing behind her, peering over her shoulder with a curious look on his face.

"Hello Chihiro." He said in that voice of his. The one that made her weak at the knees.

"Oh…um…" She stuttered nervously. What was wrong with her? The man of her dreams was standing right in front of her, and here she was, stuttering like an idiot!

"I just wanted to talk." He replied with a concerned look. Well of course he was concerned! She probably looked like she was going to pass out.

"Sorry!" She shouted and turned to face the wall, heart beating a million miles an hour. Once she heard his departing footsteps, she dropped her notebook and steadied herself against a wall, trying to catch her breath.

The next day, he came right back.

"Hello Chihiro."

For the second time that week, she almost fainted.

"S-sorry about yesterday…I, I have a fear of men." She managed, noticing how he nodded in understanding.

"I'm male." He replied.

"I…I know, but…sorry!" She yelled, turning to face the wall once more. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. He was the man she had a crush on, but she couldn't force herself to talk to him. And now, he was probably turned off and he would probably never come back to talk to her ever again.

For some reason, he kept coming back. And each time, she tried to say more and more, slowly getting more confident with him. It seemed like he was the one person who never judged her. He would just stand there, nodding along as she struggled to find something to say, a small little smile on his face, as if he enjoyed her company. Truth be told, she enjoyed his company too. It seemed like he was the only person she ever talked to outside of Student Council.

* * *

She noticed the doors of Escapade open, and as the pulsing music drew her attention, she also noticed the head of blue hair entering. She quickly switched directions and soon found herself standing in front of the large doors of Club Escapade. Two years ago, she never would have even thought about going inside, but she wasn't that scared little girl anymore. She took a deep breath and walked in.

* * *

"Let's walk home together." He suggested, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Y-Yes." She stammered, and as she noticed the smile that came over his face, she felt her heart flutter.

She thought she could feel all eyes on her as he led them through the hallways, side by side.

"Is that Minato with….who is that?" She heard one voice, and immediately, she thought about turning around and just walking home herself. She gripped her bag tightly in a nervous reaction and hung her head low. He was probably ashamed to be walking around with someone like her. After all, he was dating Yukari-san, and…wait! What was Yukari going to think of this?

She looked up at his face to find him looking ahead, perfectly comfortable and oblivious to the whispers about him. Something about that made her swallow her concerns and just enjoy the fact that she was walking home with the coolest man in Gekkoukan High School.

And so they walked in relative silence, a comfortable distance between them. They reached Port Island Station, bustling with people. As a large group of men walked by raucously, she instinctively jumped back into Minato, who held her steady with his two powerful arms. Suddenly realizing that he was actually touching her, she wiggled out of his grip and bowed to him.

"I'm sorry Minato-san." She apologized, but she was surprised to see him laugh.

"It's no problem." He said with hands up.

Blushing furiously now, she nodded and followed him onto the monorail. They managed to find two open seats and sat down together, shoulders rubbing up against each other.

As the doors hissed close and the monorail began speeding up, she tried to open her mouth and speak.

"S-so, Minato-san. Isn't Yukari-san going to be upset if you walk home with another girl?" She asked, instantly regretting it. Why would she bring up his girlfriend now, when she was actually spending time with him? She was so stupid!

Minato looked at her, confused.

"No. Why would she? It's not like we're dating or anything."

Upon hearing that, Chihiro could feel her spirits rising. So the rumors had been just that, rumors. So was it that he wanted to walk home with her because he actually liked her? She looked at him, eyes closed and headphones plugged in.

But a relationship with him wasn't even in the picture right now. Maybe one day it would be, but not today. All she could do now was to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

She almost felt embarrassed as they walked up to her house. She lived in a tiny shack with her parents, and they barely made it by each day. She knew that Minato lived a relatively luxurious dorm with several other students, so she knew that going from that to this was probably disappointing.

"Sorry. You're probably used to bigger houses, but money's tight right now and…" She trailed off, too ashamed to continue.

"No, I understand. I wasn't the richest kid either growing up. Just let me know if you run into any problems, okay? I'll be happy to help you out." Minato replied, turning around to leave.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Chihiro asked.

"Home." He replied, as if it was obvious.

"But that's back to the monorail!" Chihiro exclaimed.

"Well, I need to take the monorail. I live on the other side of town." Minato replied, leading to Chihiro's eyes widening in response.

"Then why did you come all the way out here? You didn't have to. I could have walked home alone."

Minato smiled, "But then I wouldn't have been able to spend time with you."

And with that, he walked away, leaving Chihiro speechless.

* * *

She slowly strode through the dance floor, full of writhing bodies and pounding music that irritated her ears. Ignoring the stares of several men, she went straight up to the bar, where a man was cleaning an empty glass.

Looking her over, he snorted, "Get out of here kid. We don't serve minors."

"I'm not here to drink." She snapped in response, surprising the man with the force she delivered her statement with.

Placing the glass down, he leaned back, his arms crossed, "Ok, then why are you in a place like this? You don't look like the partying type."

"Have you seen a blue haired boy in here?" She asked, leading the man to place his hand under his chin in thought.

"Not that I can recall." He sighed before he noticed something.

"Wait a second, isn't that him over there?" He asked pointing to the closing pair of doors of the club.

"Thank you." She replied hurriedly before chasing after him.

* * *

Standing outside of the sweet shop, Chihiro fiddled with her fingers while Minato looked at her in concern.

"What should I do?" She whispered to herself, trying to keep her composure.

"So how was it?" He decided to ask, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Oh! You mean the Sweet Shop. Sorry, I have something more important on my mind…" She began, caught off guard by his question.

Blushing furiously, she struggled to find the right words to say. Well, what could she say? That she was thinking about him all the time, as if she were a stalker?

It all started when she was being harassed by a random man while she was coming out of the pharmacy. Minato had stepped in front of her, and, he looked like he was ready to fight the man on her behalf. In that moment, he almost looked like a knight in shining armor to her. Since that moment, he was almost always on her mind, regardless of whether she was awake or not.

"Remember when you saved me from that creep, Minato-san? From that day on…my health hasn't been so great…The doctor said I'm fine, but…look, don't think I'm weird or anything, but I-I-I"

Wait, was she really going to admit this right now? She was scared that she was going to scare him off, but at the same time, she had an odd feeling that he wasn't going to leave her for what she was going to say. Deciding that she had to go through with it, Chihiro took a deep breath.

"I have dreams about you every night, Minato-san!" She admitted, immediately feeling better now that she had gotten it off of her chest.

For a moment, he looked at her in surprise, and Chihiro almost felt like crying at his silence. How could he stay silent after something like that!

"It's just a coincidence." He said calmly, returning to his usual indifferent expression.

"I thought it was just a coincidence too, but…I dream about you every night. This has never happened to me before. I appreciate how nice you've been to me Minato-san…" She paused. This was it, her one chance to tell him how she really felt.

"But…one of these days, I might want to be more than just your friend." She said hopefully, noticing that his face didn't change at all.

"Sorry, I've been babbling like an idiot." She said quickly, starting to walk away, not wanting to face Minato. Why had she been so stupid? She could have been content with his friendship, but now, she had to ruin it all with her stupid confession!

Closing her eyes, as if to keep herself from crying, she pushed past him. However, just as she passed him, his hand, rough, and strong, and warm, wrapped itself around hers, making her stop in surprise.

In shock, Chihiro turned around to see a smiling Minato, face full of more emotion that she had ever seen before.

"Minato-san." She said softly, looking up at his handsome face. She turned back to face him, allowing him to wrap his other hand around her free hand.

He was silent in that moment, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that they were standing there, holding hands. She didn't need him to talk. She was satisfied.

* * *

As Chihiro exited the club, glancing around, she suddenly stopped for a moment.

Why was she doing this to herself? For all she knew, that was just some random man with the same haircut. Minato was dead, his grave told her that much. Why did she suddenly think that he would be alive and well just because she wanted him to be?

She knew the answer. It was because she knew, if their places were switched, he would do the same.

With new resolve, she pushed her way past the crowd, not caring who was in her way.

* * *

"Minato, is everything okay?" Chihiro asked, walking up to her boyfriend's desk. Ever since that day at the Sweet Shop, they had been dating and spending practically every day together. But lately, she had felt like something was…off about him. As if something was bothering him.

"Huh? Yeah, everything's fine." He replied sleepily, shaking his head once to stay awake.

"Don't lie to me. You've been tired every day lately."

"No, really, I'm fine. I've just been studying up a lot for finals." He said, dismissing her claims.

Chihiro felt like he was lying, but she didn't pursue the matter further. Something was clearly taking up all of his sleep, but she didn't know what.

Was he cheating on her? She looked at his caring eyes as he walked home with her, which he did every day. His hands tightened around hers as they turned the corner onto her street.

Usually around now, they would say goodbye, and Minato would turn around and head for home. But this time was different. This time, he walked her up to her front door, before angling her to face him.

"Chihiro, do you love me?" He asked seriously, leading her to blush.

"Of course I do! Why do you ask?" She replied curiously.

"Good. Good." He whispered to himself.

A serious expression came over his face and he gripped her hands tightly, his hands rough, and strong, and warm, "Chihiro, I want you to know that if you ever feel alone, or that no one cares about you, don't. Don't ever feel that way, because I will always love you. Please remember that, even if you marry someone else. Always remember that I love you, and that you will always be on my mind."

"What are you saying? Are you breaking up with me?" Chihiro asked, starting to get worried once again.

Minato shook his head, "No. It's just, I might be going away for a little while. But I promise, I'll do everything in my power to return. Just trust me."

"Do you have to go?" Chihiro asked, worried that he was trying to make excuses.

"Yes. I don't have a choice. Not if I want to protect you. I love you Chihiro, and that's why I have to go." Minato said softly, before placing a hand on her chin and pulling her into a tender kiss. That day was January 31, the last day she had ever seen him alive.

* * *

Chihiro finally shoved her way out of the crowd, only finding herself face to face with an empty bench. She looked around in a panic, unable to see anything besides the mysterious alleyway that she avoided at all times. Utterly defeated, she staggered over to the bench and collapsed onto the hard metal.

"I was so stupid. Why did I even think that he was still alive? I saw them bury his body. I saw it!" She yelled at herself, not caring that she was drawing stares.

Because of Minato, she had learned to overcome her fear of men and to stand up for herself. She had learned what it meant to be strong, and that she had every right to believe in herself. He had taught her more than she could ever repay.

More than that, he had loved her, and she had loved him. He had taught her that she was always loved no matter where she was or how she felt. That, regardless of whether he was alive or not, he would be loving her.

He had made her into who she was today. He was a lover, a friend, and most of all, a teacher. He had opened up the future for her with his friendship. She was the president, beautiful and confident, unafraid to stand up for what she believed in.

And it was all because of Minato.

She looked up at the sky, unusually blue for winter. It was not the usually pale blue that characterized the winter, but a deep blue that would not have been out of place on Minato's head. Beyond that, it seemed unusually open today, as if it was telling her that the future was filled with opportunities that had yet to present themselves.

She smiled in spite of herself. Maybe she would never forget Minato, but maybe, just maybe, she could move on. Maybe she wouldn't be satisfied with their last meeting, but she could accept the fact that he was dead. Maybe she would never be the same, but that wasn't a bad thing.

She took a deep breath of the icy air and she felt refreshed like she hadn't felt in a long time. Regardless of whether or not Minato was alive or not, she wouldn't let it dictate her life. She would remember what he had done for her, and live on her life, forever changed for the better.

She stood up, hope renewed in the future.

As she did however, she suddenly felt a hand, rough, and strong, and warm clasp on tightly to her arm.

"Hello, Chihiro." The impossibly smooth voice breathed, and she almost collapsed in shock.

For a moment, she kept her back to the voice, not wanting to turn around and be disappointed. But, as she felt the grip loosen, she urgently turned around, not wanting the voice to disappear.

She saw it. The blue hair, the piercing silver eyes. The omnipresent headphones. The Gekkoukan uniform that seemed a size too small for his larger figure. The caring look in his eyes.

Why did he have to be so…unforgettable?

* * *

**Wow. I just discovered Persona 3 and just...wow. I seriously finished the game in less than a week and I have to day, I seriously love Chihiro. She's just literally the sweetest girl ever! She really deserves to be together with Minato, like seriously. Anyways, please leave any thoughts you have, good or bad, in a review!**


End file.
